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The muse has been out

djonesii

Workshop Member
Dear all;

The muse has been out for a while.

Still going through the motions, did the yearly "garden in bloom shots"

All the Scout events ....

Swim team ....

But without the same passion.

Ever dealt with this photographically, if so, how did you get out of da'Funk?

dave
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Its really hard. For me 38 years as a Pro I have been through many funks and really the only thing I can pinpoint to get me out is a gig that really flips my jets on. In the meantime I switch cameras out often and that helps its temporary but it helps.

Im going through one right now but not because of what I am shooting, I'm just bored a little for some reason. I also hate the heat and its starting to warm up.
 

Stuart Richardson

Active member
I went to the International Center of Photography for awhile, and one of the classes I had was called Roll a Day. The concept was as simple as it sounds -- you have to shoot 36 exposures a day, no matter what. Each day of the week you have to print a contact sheet and one 5x7. You have to print the blank frames if you did not finish a roll (or 36 digital shots). Each week you pick one image to make an 8x10, every two weeks an 11x14 and every month a 16x20. Tack the work up onto the wall and live with it. You need to confront it if you want to learn and break free of the stagnation.

Forcing yourself to just go out and take pictures helps you become better aware of your practice. You learn about your crutches, you see the kinds of compositions you always go for etc. By working a lot and forcing yourself to actually confront what you are doing, you will learn more about what you actually like to photograph, as well as what you are now finding tiresome. Additionally, by forcing yourself to go out and work (or stay in and work!), you will find yourself in situations where you will photograph interesting things that you might never have considered before.

It is a tough exercise to do, especially when you have a normal daily routine as well, but it is very effective in kickstarting your creativity. I would also consider trying to photograph things other than events and flowers in bloom etc. Simply put, event photography requires events! They are not always happening...a garden has a lot of possibilities, but it is also quite easy to fall into the trap of simply photographing the same old pretty pictures. Why not try doing something you are not used to? Simple candids or daily life shots with friends or family? Architecture, food, still life, abstractions...there are any number of options that don't require particular times and places for them to work.

I actually was in a situation like this two years ago in November here. It was dark for 18 hours a day, cold, windy and generally miserable. I had to get out. I just got into the car and fled the city. I came upon a crazy display of streetlights in the snow. I got out and photographed for three hours. That started a series that has now led to a solo exhibition at the National Museum of Iceland...all because I was stir crazy and just went out to photograph SOMETHING!
 

Shashin

Well-known member
Maybe you just need a break. Forgive yourself. I assume you are doing this for fun. It really is OK, most of us have been there.

In my case, I just go out and shoot. I find after about half an hour or so I get into the grove--the world is so darn interesting. Ditch the cell phone and family and just spend quality time with your photography. It is not easy and there are so many excuses you can make to not go and shoot--I am too tried, the weather is not right, the paparazzi are just going to hound you--but just go and see what happens.

I will let you in on a little secret about the weather thing. There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong approach.
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member

what Shashin says ...
©lick for actual pixels


© • Leica M8 • Leica Summarit-M 2.5/50mm • 1/90 sec. at f/4 ISO 640 • Lightroom 4.4
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
I don't shoot every day, actually I do in the studio but that's commercial repro work and doesn't count for me as an artistic endevour. I shoot personal projects but only really when I have time and it can often be weeks apart. I'd been feeling the same as you and yesterday when a trip to a conference got cancelled I got on my bike and biked over to the nearby forest just to clear my mind. Put my camera on my shoulder and just had some fun. The picture I got doesn't fit into a specific project that I'm working on at present but it gives me pleasure. Sometimes just getting out there with a camera in on your shoulder or around your neck is all it takes to feel back in the groove. When it's sitting in your bag it's not even going to have a chance to make you feel like you are trying.
 

kweide

New member
Looking out of the window, see the lawn, counting blades of grass. Several attempts spitting at small beetles. Hey, got one .... feeling blue ....
 
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